"It doesn't taste anything like beetroot." Mr Dromgool, who trained as a food technologist, stabilised the concentrate to improve shelf life, and has been marketing it for the past couple of months.
He recommended people consume it in the concentrated form as large quantities of unconcentrated beetroot juice can upset some stomachs. The concentrate can also be added to smoothies. He said Beetroot Blast was selling well and he expected it do better in summer when the events season began.
Tim Mills of Avantiplus Mount Maunganui, who was one of the first stockists of Beetroot Blast, said: "Cyclists and triathletes have been reading and talking about beetroot juice for years, but there haven't been any products on the market, and juicing beetroots isn't easy for many. This product tastes good and is really convenient, so is ideal for athletes."
However, one of the keys to taking the drink is that, according to research provided by Mr Dromgool, for the drink to provide an effective nutritional jolt, it has to use the bacteria in the mouth to break down nitrates in the concentrate into nitrites.
"This means, that if you brush your teeth, use mouthwash, or use chewing gum, then you break the chain and it won't work," Mr Dromgool said.
Triathlete and Youth Olympics silver medallist Daniel Hoy started using Beetroot Blast before it was officially launched, after he met Mr Dromgool at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Triathlon Championships earlier in the year.
"I've used them at various times of the day and the kick-in period seems to be two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours after using it," Mr Hoy said.
"But remembering not to brush teeth can be difficult, especially in the morning."
